~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ USS Constitution ( photo / image / picture from Henry Johnson's Garden ) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The U.S.S. Constitution (Old Ironsides), as a combat vessel, carried 48,600 gallons of fresh water for her crew of 475 officers and men.. This was sufficient to last six months of sustained operations at sea.. She carried no evaporators (i.e. Fresh water distillers). However, let it be noted that according to her ship's log: "On July 27, 1798, the U.S.S.Constitution sailed from Boston with a full complement of 475 officers and men, 48,600 gallons of fresh water, 7,400 cannon shot, 11,600 pounds of black powder and 79,400 gallons of Rum.." Her mission: "To destroy and harass English shipping." Making Jamaica on 6 October, she took on 826 pounds of flour and 68,300 gallons of Rum... Then she headed for the Azores , arriving there 12 November.. She provisioned with 550 pounds of beef and 64,300 gallons of Portuguese Wine.. On 18 November, she set sail for England ... In the ensuing days she defeated five British men-of-war and captured and scuttled 12 English merchant ships, salvaging only the Rum aboard each. By 26 January, her powder and shot were exhausted. Nevertheless, although unarmed she made a night raid up the Firth of Clyde in Scotland . Her landing party captured a whisky distillery and transferred 40,000 gallons of single malt SCOTCH aboard by dawn. Then she headed home. The U.S.S. Constitution arrived in Boston on 20 February 1799, with no cannon shot, no food, no powder, no rum, no wine, no whisky, and 38,600 Gallons of water... GO NAVY ! ! ! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Love to all, Hank.... P.S. I personally have no idea if the above tale is true or not, but thought it humorous enough for a chuckle.. Hank
No wonder they where able to raise all the cane they did. They all must have thought they were supermen after all that liquid help.
I think the drinking part could apply to any branch of military. Especially if that much booze was readily available.
So let me do the calculation... for about 7 months these guys drank 147,700 gallons of rum (without the salvaged from the five British men-of-war and the 12 English merchant ships), 64,300 gallons of wine and 40,000 gallons of scotch. 475 men in the crew and each of them had around 310.9 gallons of rum, 135.3 gallons of wine and 84.2 gallons of scotch for these 7 months. For 209 days each man drank average of 1.48 gallons of rum, 0.64 gallons of wine and 0.40 gallons of scotch per DAY. I don't know if it's possible to drink so much and stay alive for 7 months. This is surely more like a legend than a real story.
British ships gave a ration of rum each day. A ration was a tall mug of it. For holidays and as special rewards, there was a double ration. After their work shift of course. US ships did not normally practice this for enlisted men. But the officers got rum or wine with each meal.
